Vrindavan dham

The story of Vrindavan dham

Vrindavan dham is the sacred Tulsi forest of Nidhivan, and the most striking thing here is that the whole place is treated as a living stage for the pastimes of Radha and Krishna.

You are standing in one of the sacred sites of Vrindavan in the Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh, India. Devotees regard Nidhivan as especially important because it is associated with the rasa-lila of Radha and Krishna and their cowherd companions, the Gopikas, and many believe that this dance still takes place here at night. For that reason, the forest is closed with barricades during the night.

What you see around you is not a conventional temple complex but a dense grove of short Tulasi plants and trees. The trees are described as being in pairs with entangled trunks, with hollow bark, dry ground, green leaves through the year, and a bending form towards the ground. Monkeys and peacocks live here as well. In Vaishnavism, Tulasi is a holy plant, so the planting itself is part of the sanctity people come to experience.

Inside the premises is Rang Mahal, meaning Colourful Palace. This temple is treated by devotees as the place where Radha and Krishna spend the night after the dance, and it has sandalwood beds prepared for sleeping. Each evening the priests arrange ornaments, flowers, clothes, Tulasi leaves, Neem twigs, sweets, betel nuts and leaves, and a jar of water beside the bed. Then the doors of Rang Mahal and Nidhivan are locked from the outside and opened again in the morning.

The morning routine is part of what draws people here: the bed is found looking as if someone has slept on it, the Neem twigs look used, and the sweets and betel leaves look partially eaten. Within the same premises there is also Sri Bansichori Radharani Temple, a shrine dedicated to Swami Haridas, who created the Banke Bihari idol, along with Raslila Sthali and Lalita Pond.

Nidhivan is also linked with the appearance of the Banke Bihari idol. A tradition here says that Swami Haridas, through devotion, caused Radha and Krishna to appear before him, and that the idol was later enshrined elsewhere after being worshipped here for some years.

If you are visiting, the practical thing to keep in mind is that opening times are given differently in the record: one schedule says Monday to Sunday, Open 24 hours, while another gives summer and winter hours with a midday closure. The site belongs to a long pilgrimage landscape, and this grove is the part where the ritual atmosphere is strongest.